The federal opposition is calling for Immigration Minister Andrew Giles to be sacked after a second boat full of asylum seekers intercepted on their way to Australia were given speed boats equipped with supplies and told to head for Indonesia.
The group of 44 asylum seekers landed on the remote Indonesian island of Rote Ndao on Monday, several weeks after they were intercepted en route to Australia.
According to local authorities, the group of 36 Bangladeshi and eight Rohingya asylum seekers were intercepted while trying to reach Australia from West Java’s southern coast but were intercepted by the Australian Broder Force (ABF).
They were detained in their vessel for 18 days before being provided with two modern speed boats, each equipped with just enough fuel, food and water for 22 people to make the trip to Rote Ndao – 286km from Australia’s Ashmore Reef.
Rote Ndao Police Chief Mardiono told The Australian the group had run out of almost all their supplies when they arrived on his island.
“They beached the boats when they see land because they’ve run out of fuel. When we checked the boats, they’ve run out of everything so they had no other choice than to land. I think (Australian authorities) have calculated how much fuel they need to get here,” he said.
The Indonesian official said the group learned about the possibility of travelling to Australia via TikTok.
“They were on TikTok and found someone who’s been in Australia and asked them how to get there,” the Police Chief said.
Shadow immigration minister Dan Tehan told SkyNews.com.au nobody wanted to see illegal boat arrivals rise to the level they were under the Rudd and Gillard governments, noting the latest incident should raise questions about the government’s approach.
“Australians should be asking: is this government doing enough to keep our borders secure?” Mr Tehan said.
“Three boats have made it all the way to the Australian territory since the election and that’s no surprise because under Labor aerial surveillance is down 20 per cent and on water patrol days are down 12 per cent.”
The shadow minister said the increased number of illegal boats was a result of the Immigration minister’s “incompetence”.
“When people smugglers look at Labor’s incompetent Immigration Minister Andrew Giles they can sense weakness,” he said
“The Prime Minister needs to send a message by replacing Minister Giles with someone up to the job.”
The 44 men on Rote are now being processed by Indonesian immigration authorities since police found no indication that they were smugglers themselves.
They are the second group of asylum seekers the Australian government has reportedly provided with boats and told them to head back to Indonesia in as many weeks.
On June 30 it was revealed that a group of 28 asylum seekers and two boat crew had been given a speedboat and told to travel back to Indonesia after Australian authorities seized and destroyed their original vessel.
Australian Border Force refused to confirm the incident when contacted by SkyNews.com.au, saying it did not comment on operational matters.
The Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil has been contacted for comment.